MPs collect thousands of signatures opposing the caravan tax

FOLLOWING HIS APPEAL for residents to sign petitions opposing the Caravan Tax, Graham Stuart MP has confirmed that thousands of signatures have been collected.

Yesterday MPs from East Yorkshire and across the UK formally submitted a public petition in the House of Commons opposing the imposition of VAT on static holiday caravans.

Last night petitions were presented on behalf of 64 constituencies, with more expected to filter in today. Graham Stuart submitted more than 4,000 signatures on behalf of the people of Beverley and Holderness, as well as petitions in the name of a number of other constituencies. They all emphasised the negative impact the caravan tax will have on jobs and growth.

The local MP said, “It is critical that we continue to draw attention to the impact the caravan tax will have on jobs, especially as Britain’s largest caravan manufacturer, Willerby Holiday Homes, has just announced plans for 350 redundancies in anticipation of the tax rise in October.

Imposing VAT on static caravans is not logical and is not fair. Someone buying a £240,000 second home will pay £2,400 in stamp duty. Someone buying a £13,000 second home that is a static caravan will pay £2,600 for a building purchased and used in exactly the same way. It is unsupportable.”

The formal presentation of the public petition is the latest step in the cross-party campaign pressing the Government to end plans for a caravan tax. It comes after Graham Stuart organised a meeting between MPs and caravan manufacturers in Beverley, led a delegation to the Treasury, tabled an amendment to the Finance Bill, secured an additional debate in the House of Commons, tabled a Parliamentary motion opposing the tax, and met with Chancellor George Osborne to press the issue.

Graham Stuart’s speech in Parliament last night has been republished on TheyWorkForYou.com.

About the Author

Ray Duffill (photo by Neil Holmes) is a former community development manager but now describes himself as a beat-blogger or citizen-journalist. Ray lives in Hedon and also edits the Hedon Blog and is the Hedon correspondent for the Holderness Gazette.

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